The Girl Who Spoke Time Lord
by Catlorde
Summary: A teenager doesn't see much in life... just an endless cycle of homework, events for clubs that she cares nothing about, tests, and unrealistic expectations. Until she meets the Doctor, or rather, hits him with her car...
1. Roadkill and Alien Slushies

_**Chapter One: Roadkill and Alien Slushies**_

She tried to brake and swerve, but she hit him anyway. She had been on a back road. Lots of trees, and he had come out from behind one of them, less than 10 feet in front of her. The sick thud the man made against the front her car as he hit and bounced off made her stomach flip and her insides freeze.

The car ended up skidding to a stop on the edge of the road, half turned around from the direction it was going, its back tires tearing muddy gashes in the grass.

The girl sat in the seat for a moment, staring straight ahead with wide eyes and white knuckles on the steering wheel from the death grip she had on it. It was a few moments before her brain managed to process what was happening, but when it did it sent her into a greater panic.

 _Fuck fuck fuck._

She scrambled out of the car and looked back on the road, which the man was sprawled out in the middle of. He wore a black leather jacket and dark pants . He was sprawled out on his stomach, arms half above his head. His face was turned away from her, so she could only see the back of his head and spiky brown hair.

She crept closer, fighting back fear and horror. _I should just call 911._ She swallowed. _I can't call them until I know if he's alive or not._

"Hello?" She called, her voice little more than a squeak. "H-hello? Are-are you okay?" She reached him and her stomach flipped when she saw the blood on the asphalt near his head. The girl bit the inside of her cheek and walked around his head so she could see his face. It was scratched up pretty badly, especially around his nose and forehead. "Sir?"

She squeaked as the man suddenly came to life with a gasp and a groan.

"Oh- blimey! What the hell was that?" He pushed himself into a sitting position painfully. "Oh my head. Nice shoes." He looked over and saw the girl's shoes and followed her up to her face, squinting painfully against the light.

She was wearing black converse, blue jeans, and a gray t shirt, along with medium length brown hair that floated around her face in loose curls. Her face was roundish and young, which was emphasized by the fact that she was chewing her chipped blue nails anxiously as she surveyed him with soft grey eyes that rivaled the moon in size.

" 'ello," he said as cheerfully as he could. "I'm the Doctor."

"I'm Livvy," the girl squeaked. "Do you need an ambulance?" She had her phone in her trembling hand. "Because I can call an ambulance."

"What? Nah," the Doctor grinned. "I'll be alright. I'm tougher than I look… however that is. What do I look like Livvy ? Young? I sound young. Though most importantly… am I… ginger?... maybe a little bit?"

"You look…" she looked even more terrified. "You look like you need an ambulance." She pointed to the blood on the ground and then to that on his head. Then at his wrist, which had been hurting, and he noticed that it was visibly broken, the bone poking at a weird angle under the skin.

He winced and forced a smile. "Nah, no ambulance. I'll be right as rain in a few moments. Just regenerated, you see. I can heal myself right up. Look." He held out his injured wrist and smiled at it as it began to glow gold. The bone snapped back into place and he felt his the scratches on his head and face melt back together. "You see?"

Livvy looked even more unsettled; she had gone very pale as she gaped at him. They looked at each other for a few moments, one of them grinning while the other looked as if they were about to pass out.

Livvy eventually managed to force herself to say weakly, "So no ambulance then?"

"Nope!" Laughed the Doctor and he bounced up to his feet, causing Livvy to leap back. He smiled at her happily. "Livvy is it? Livvy what? Is Livvy short for something? Elizabeth maybe? How old are you?"

"No. Livvy Laura is my first name. Two words. Livvy Laura Wilson. No middle name. And I'm seventeen."

"Livvy Laura Wilson," the Doctor let the name roll off his tongue, spending far too much time on the 'Li'. "I like that, Livvy Laura." He bounced on his feet. "Well Livvy Laura Wilson, how'd you like to see something interesting? Well I say interesting, more like amazing. To you anyway. To me too, only I've seen this kind of thing a thousand time over, get used to it, in a way." He took off toward the trees that he had emerged from. "Come on then Livvy Laura!"

She hesitated, then followed, not sure what to expect. She knew she ought to get back in her car and drive away. But the man, who she had decided was crazy, had been hit by her car, so she figured that she at least owed him enough to see whatever it was he was excited about. Then at least she couldn't be charged with a hit and run if he did turn up at a hospital.

Livvy followed him as he wandered into the trees, through the thick undergrowth, and just far enough away from the road that it was no longer in sight. Then he vanished completely.

Livvy stopped in her tracks, confused. She had only been a few yards behind him, and could see him perfectly until he simply wasn't there, like he had blinked out of existence.

"You coming?" She heard his voice call from seemingly nowhere. "Keep walking, you'll figure it out."

She stepped forward slowly, trying to figure out the trick, but only heard the soft crackle of leaves under her feet. Then she felt herself move through something, thick like water but as light as mountain air, cold and flowing. Her hair floated freely for a moment but flopped back down as gravity reasserted itself when she reached the other side.

The Doctor was standing there, his hands in his pockets, grinning, which he seemed to do a lot. "Good, eh? Cloaking device. Pretty good one too. The designers, Sofarians, specialize in cloaking technology."

He continued talking but Livvy wasn't listening. She was far too busy trying to take in the sudden change in surroundings.

The cloaking device, as he put it, was behind her, visible from the inside, rippling and shimmering lightly as a translucent curtain would when stirred by a light breeze. The inside was even more impossible. Surrounded by the cloak on all sides like a snow globe, was a huge twisted pile of metal, complex with countless beams shooting and winding in a thousand different directions to weave the hull. It was a vessel, a ship. She knew that much. She could see the thrusters because they looked basically the same for every type of aerial propulsion.

She was dimly aware that the Doctor had stopped talking and was happily watching her look around.

"Good, eh?" He asked. "They were trying to drill into your planet. For some type of mineral they use. Though that would've been fine on its own, but they didn't care that the drilling was upsetting Earth's tectonic plates; would've been massive earthquakes and volcanoes and mess. Could've caused havoc. I stopped them though, turned off some of their systems so that they abandoned it and went home in their escape pods. Unfortunately I did my job just a bit too well and I crashed and couldn't get get off the ship. Kinda fixed it near the end, just enough to soften the landing… er… crash. Wasn't enough though, got myself killed, in a way."

She was looking at him again, less frightened now, more like he had sprouted a second head.

"You said planet, so like… aliens?" She asked warily. "And died? You don't look dead. I hit you with my car too, and you fixed yourself. All glowing. How does that work?"

"Ah... well… yes. To both the the aliens and sort of the dying. It's complicated." He ran his fingers through his hair before rubbing both hands over his face, poking and prodding at it like he was trying to understand its shape. "But the most important thing is to get this ship out of here. It's hidden for now, but it won't be forever."

He bounced on his feet for a few moments before dashing off to dance around the twisted heap of metal, pulling out wires and dragging them around while plugging them into other things, talking all the way.

"It's broken. But not that badly broken. It definitely won't make it back home. But if I alternate the power cell output into a reverse feedback loop then I might be able to kick start the auxiliary engines. Send her spinning off into the sun!..."

He looked back at her and grinned again before pressing a button and pulling a lever that opened a hatch Livvy hadn't noticed. Still dragging a mess of wires like a bridal train behind him, he twisted into the doorway with what he probably intended to be a dramatic flair and vanished into the darkness of the ship.

Livvy regarded the dark entrance warily, thinking about making a run for it. But curiosity got the best of her and she found herself following.

She stopped at the door and peered in. The inside was dark but she could make out the walls, covered with mostly green blinking lights. She couldn't see the Doctor but could hear him moving around deeper in the vessel.

"Are you coming or not?" Came his slightly impatient voice from somewhere ahead.

Guessing at his direction, Livvy made her way across the first room, accidentally tripping over a dislodged pipe. It went spinning against the wall with a noisy clang while Livvy stumbled against a panel. The cold metal stung her hands while the buttons and small light bulbs dug into her arms. Grumbling, she managed to push herself back upright.

The Doctor's voice cut sharply through the dark, echoing weirdly like he was in a tunnel. "And don't touch anything!"

Rubbing her arms ruefully, she picked her way carefully through the twisted pipes and made her way down an even darker corridor. For a moment she was completely encased in darkness, accompanied only by her own nervous breathing and the occasional metallic clangs of the Doctor fiddling around to assure her that she was going in the right direction.

After a few moments, she managed to make out the faint light of an open doorway. The light was dark green and so faint that she didn't notice it at first, half thinking that it was simply her eyes imprinting the bright light of the outside entrance, which she had glanced back at before entering the dark hall.

Hovering at the door, Livvy surveyed the room. It was small but bathed in a soft green light that came from everywhere. Consoles of dead screens and tiny red and green lights lined the walls. Looking to her right, she saw the Doctor wedged under one such console. He had removed the metal panel at the bottom and lay on the floor, half in half out of the space underneath. His face was illuminated by the small green bulbs that lined the wires he was working with. She could see him squinting at them in mild annoyance. He shook his head, blinking.

"Eyesight's not so good this time around. Thought it was fine outside, but it's not so good up close in the dark. Maybe I'll need reading glasses. Oh well, not the first time. Oh, hello! Glad to see you finally made it." He grinned at her like a happy dog would when seeing someone he knew before redirecting his attention to the wires. He then looked at her more seriously. "You didn't touch anything, did you?"

"Uh… no," Livvy muttered warily, thinking about the console she had fallen on.

"All right then," he said, reverting back to his cheerful tones. "Not like it mattered anyway. That section is pretty much dead. Only emergency lighting is left."

She let out a mental sigh of relief and wandered closer. "What are you doing?"

"Just what I said. Rerouting power to the auxiliary engines. Weren't you listening?" He sniffed, pretending to be offended. "Shouldn't take long, honestly should already be finished. It's this new body, brain's not working right just yet."

"If it's not working right, should you really be rewiring a ship to send it hurdling into the sun?"

He snorted. "Ah, well, point taken. But it's not like this is extremely difficult. It's a pretty simple design that I've worked with before. Just a few more… ah! Done!" He twisted something into place with a grunt and bounced back up to his feet.

"Come on then! How about a little light!" He flipped a few switches with a flourish and the entire ship sprang to life. The dark green auras were replaced by bright white lights, and Livvy could see that the entire ship was actually meant to be white and sterile, not dark and ominous.

The Doctor looked at her eagerly to see if she was impressed before dashing back out into the corridor to run deeper into the ship.

Livvy ran after him, not wanting to be left alone in this strange place. They passed several rooms, Livvy peering into each one as she hurried past. Each seemed to have a different purpose; several had some array of the consoles of the first ones she saw, but the further they went the more different they became. Several appeared to be sleeping quarters with what looked like two bunk beds in each room. Others looked like mechanical rooms with large practical looking machines taking up the entire space. The aliens that worked there must've been small, having to worm their way around the protruding metal appendages. She even thought she saw a kitchen and almost stopped to investigate before she realized the Doctor was significantly far ahead.

He finally skidded to a stop in a room that Livvy identified as a control room. More consoles lined three walls of the spacious room while the fourth was a single giant blank screen. Several comfy looking chairs formed a line in the dead center of the room, each with a glass monitor and control board attached to the arm.

The Doctor bounced in and plopped down in one of the chairs and began immediately pressing buttons. Livvy sat more cautiously in the chair beside him and jumped when the screen turned on and the chair responded to her presence.

The glass monitor flipped up so it was at eye level with her and read:

 **[INSERT COMMANDS]**

She also noticed that she could see what the Doctor was doing on her screen, up in a little square in the corner like your own picture in a video chat.

He was busy typing in numbers and what she guessed were trajectories. She wasn't certain until the wall sized screen turned on and displayed a course map in HD quality that led from Earth to the Sun, connecting the two celestial bodies with a dotted line. Underneath the horrifying yet helpful map that took the moon's orbit into consideration were the labels:

 **[COUNTDOWN DELAY 10 MINUTES]**

 **-[CONFIRM?]**

 **-[YES] [NO]**

The Doctor eagerly prodded the [YES].

And in big red letters:

 **[INITIATE]**

The Doctor looked over at Livvy.

"Would you care to do the honors?"

She barely registered herself nodding and prodded her screen with a slightly trembling finger.

 **[COURSE INITIATED]**

 **-[COUNTDOWN: 10:59]**

 **-[COUNTDOWN: 10:58]**

"Well then!" The Doctor bounced up out of the chair energetically. "Better get moving. Otherwise we'll be stuck on a ship being shot off into the sun. Come on."

He began strolling off at a much more leisurely pace, apparently unconcerned that in less than ten minutes they could be trapped in a death ship headed straight for the nearest star. Livvy hurried after him.

He didn't hesitate to strike up a conversation. "Sofarians are a pretty friendly race, more or less. Just a bit thick though. Brilliant. But thick. Have a hard time seeing past their own noses. It took them ages to make a treaty with anyone simply because they could not under any circumstances compromise on anything. They eventually figure it out though. Oh look, the kitchens!"

He turned into the huge cafeteria style room with rows and rows of tables with chairs attached to them. He ignored the tables and headed for the metal wall at the back, where a long window flanked by open doors showed into a back room.

He wandered through the door on the right and began poking at various pots of wildly colored mushes. He stuck his finger in one and placed it in his mouth, sucking at the substance.

"Go on, try some," he encouraged, pulling his finger back out to examine it.

Livvy looked skeptical. "You do realize we're on the clock right?"

"Oh ten minutes is ages!" He cried, shoving a bowl of neon pink goop at her.

"But that was a good walk from the control room," she pointed out, wrinkling her nose as she peered into the bowl.

"Wasn't that far! We've got eight minutes fifty three seconds left, and that's before the firing sequence, which takes at least thirty seconds. Plenty of time to explore!"

Livvy made a show of counting down from eight minutes fifty three seconds and he gave her a playful shove.

"Oh, go on! Live a little! Sample some of the local cuisine before it gets hurled into a star and roasted up before anyone has a chance to enjoy it!" He shoved the bowl at her again.

Livvy couldn't help but smile and stuck her finger into the cool neon sludge. She retracted her finger and sniffed it, blinking at the sharp but flavorless scent before sticking it in her mouth. She immediately screwed up her face and winced at the taste, making the Doctor laugh.

"Urgh! That's _REALLY_ sour!" She sputtered.

The Doctor laughed and stuck his finger back in it for another taste. "Really? I didn't think it was that bad. A bit sour maybe, but not the most sour I've ever had."

She had stopped sputtering and glared at him in mock indignation. "That's worse than lemons and sour head candy combined and amplified by one hundred. These aliens must have deficient taste buds, so weak it has to be extremely strong for them to taste anything."

The Doctor had moved on to a dark blue mush and was sniffing it with interest. "Not that far off. The Sofarians have taste buds, but I've never asked about the condition. They don't have teeth though… if you'll notice, everything is mush. They have to slurp it up with a straw."

"Hell of a smoothie."

"Language!" He huffed before passing the blue to her. "Try this one, kinda tastes like a mix of oranges and blueberries."

They spent the next six-ish minutes trying various mushes. They found a an orange one that tasted like watermelon, a red one that tasted to Livvy like chocolate cake but the Doctor swore up and down was vanilla, and one that was bright yellow that tasted, oddly enough, like fried chicken.

"Alright, come on then. You're right. On a clock. Got about two minutes left."

Livvy sighed woefully and looked at the remaining vats they hadn't tried yet. "Okay."

The Doctor made sure his young friend was ready to follow him before making a move to leave the kitchen. He had just passed what he assumed was cold storage and was several yards out the door when he heard a door slam and a startled yelp. He spun around and ran back.

He hesitated at the door and stared around the kitchen but didn't automatically see Livvy, cursing his rejuvenating senses, not quite working the way they should yet. It didn't help that the powerful flavors of the Sofarian food were still lingering in his mouth and nose.

"Doctor!" Came the frantic cry.

He turned toward the source and flung himself toward the cold storage door, which he noticed was completely closed instead of slightly ajar, as it had been when he passed.

"Livvy!" He cried, searching frantically for his sonic screwdriver. "Hold on! I'm here!"

He peered through the tiny window in the door and could see her distorted image on the other side. She was trapped by what appeared to be an assortment of black tendrils that had wrapped around her arms, legs, neck, and chest, strapping her firmly to a thick metal pole. Her eyes were wide and she was plainly terrified.

"Doctor!" She called again. "There are dead things in here!" Her voice had taken a slightly panicky edge.

Looking again, he could glimpse what she was talking about. Several large shapes were strapped to similar poles with the same kind of tendrils while others were even suspended in the air.

"Stay calm! You're going to be alright. You're in the freezer." He found the right setting and was annoyed by the number of locks and how slowly they clicked open. "Did you touch anything? What happened?"

"I don't know!" She wailed. "I was just walking past it and thought I saw something move. I slowed down a bit and it just… grabbed me!"

The Doctor got the door open and rushed to her side. She cried out in relief when he began scanning the tendrils.

"Automated system," he explained as he searched for the right setting, "most of meat Sofarians use for food doesn't keep, so they just kind of… shepherd it in here to keep it alive. The tendrils are here to help. They snatch what they think they are supposed to and keep it under wraps and alive until ready for cooking."

"But everything else in here is dead!"

"Yeah, well, partially my fault. When the Sofarians abandoned ship, they couldn't just leave them here alive, inhumane according to them. Basically euthanized them. See how the tendrils are actually small tubes? They're like feeder tubes. Keeps the creatures alive and can inject various substances."

"On me too?" She squeaked.

"Yes, you too," he said calmly, pulling away the tendrils until only one slightly larger one remained. It had wormed its way under her shirt and attached itself in a spot just under her ribs.

She went pale as he pointed the screwdriver at it. It fell away with a shrill squeal and revealed a circular wound. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't too deep, only a trickle of blood ran from it.

He bounced back to his feet, pulling her with him, pausing when he heard the engines begin to fire, vibrating the floor with an ominous hum.

"Come on then!" He cried excitedly. "Thirty seconds! Run!"

The Doctor snagged her hand and dragged her with him until she found her footing. The vibrating increased intensity as they sprinted down the corridor.

They stumbled out just in time, falling into the leaves and scant grass just as the ship began its ascent.

The Doctor dragged her against him so that he was between her and the firing engines and held her tight, just in case something went wrong. Keeping her face pressed in his chest, the Doctor watched as the intricate twisted pile of metal began to rise in a ball of light.

He smiled happily when it made it over the trees. Loosening his hold on Livvy, he gestured toward the ship.

"Look at that! You don't see that everyday."

Livvy's eyes widened as they followed the ships ascent, higher and higher until it blinked out of sight.

"How long will it take to reach the sun?" She asked.

"Going at the speed I set it at, about 10 minutes. It's traveling slightly slower than the speed of light."

He stood and pulled her with him. He searched her face for a moment before nudging her in the direction of the road.

"Come on, then. We need to find my TARDIS and get your side taken care of. It's designed to lock onto the nearest center of gravity if it gets set adrift. Basically what happened was there was a small explosion when I was initially fiddling with their systems. There was a hull breach and the TARDIS was sucked out. It shouldn't be too far from here."

The reached the car and he hopped into the passenger side while Livvy went around to the driver's side.

"What's a TARDIS? Is that like your ship?"

"Yep! Best ship in the universe!"

Livvy shook her head and climbed in and buckled up.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Not really, no." He pulled his screwdriver back out and activated it. There was a soft whirring and he held it to his ear. "Keep going this way," he pointed, "I'll tell you when to turn."

The Doctor didn't stop talking the whole way, only pausing in his tirade about Sofarians and some treaty he found annoying to tell her to turn. The whole time he was talking he was looking at himself in the car mirror, poking at his nose, ruffling his hair, and stretching out his cheeks before complaining about the features and comparing them to others that he "used to have."

Livvy shook her head in bewilderment but didn't interrupt. While the afternoon had been incredible and ultimately fun it had also been confusing and terrifying. She had so many questions banging around in her brain but couldn't catch any of them long enough to ask them. She had almost convinced herself that this was just some bizarre dream when he told her they were nearly there and pointed towards a large square building to their right.

"That's my school,"she commented as she pulled into the parking lot.

"Huh," he said, distracted. "It looks like it's in that field over there."

He pointed again to the field to the left of the school, the practice field, Livvy noted. She parked and they both got out. The Doctor automatically sauntered off into the field, making a beeline toward the trees in the back corner.

It took Livvy a second to see what he was headed toward. She had only just somewhat gotten used to the large metal ships that the small blue box came as a surprise.

"Best ship in the universe?" She hummed. "Blue and made out of wood?"

"Oi! Don't dis the box!"

The Doctor stopped at the doors and leaned against the wood, smirking. He patted the wood fondly. "Best ship in the universe. Really. Want to take a look?"

Livvy nodded. Small box or not. It was a spaceship. Apparently.

The Doctor nudged the door open and stepped out of the way so she could step in. Livvy blinked at the sight, trying to understand what she was seeing. The inside was huge. All warm and humming and _alive_. The ship was alive. She could feel it. From the metal grating of the floor to the humming of the console, wire and buttons and blinking lights and all. Livvy didn't run back outside to look at the blue wood again. She knew what she would find. That the inside was much bigger. She turned to look at the Doctor, who had followed her in and was watching her in amusement.

"How does that work, then? The size thing?" She asked, breathless and wide eyed.

The Doctor laughed and bounded to the central console, where he pressed a few buttons, smiling.

"Told you, best ship in the universe. It's all in the the name. TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. T-A-R-D-I-S. Think about it."

She bounded over to join him, gazing to to the glass. "Relative. Relativity. I take that's important. Relative to something else. Dimension? Maybe? Is that how you cram it all in?" She looked at his smiling face and couldn't help but smile herself. "In space. That's self explanatory. It's a spaceship. Time?" Her eyes widened. "Time, really?"

The Doctor chuckled again. "Ah, yes, time. That's another clever trick she has. I'd be extremely glad to show it to you, but first things first." His expression became more serious and he looked down at her shirt, where the tendrils had been attached.

Livvy looked down too. She had almost forgotten about that. The trickle of blood that had been trickling from it had spread and soaked through her shirt in a circle about the size of her fist. The sight made her feel a bit woozy.

"Come on." The Doctor extended his hand for her to take and led her down a hall and to another room.

"The medbay," he said to answer her unasked question. "Right, take a seat."

He patted a metal table and she hoisted herself up on it and watched as he rummaged through a drawer. He came back with a smallish instrument that emitted a bright blue light. She regarded it skeptically.

The Doctor saw the look she was giving it and explained. "It's alright. Completely harmless. Just regrows skin cells. Nothing to worry about. Can you show me the cut?"

Livvy lifted her shirt just enough to show off the injury. It was circular, like someone had stabbed her with a cookie cutter and sucked out the first few layers of skin there. Luckily, like the Doctor pointed out, it wasn't deep enough to be dangerous.

The Doctor hovered the glowing tool around over the wound and skin magically sprouted back slowly. Within five minutes there was almost no indication there had ever been a break in the flesh at all. Only the pink shade of new skin.

The Doctor put the tool away, satisfied, and helped her down.

Livvy looked down at her ruined shirt. "Great. How am I supposed to explain this to my mom?"

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe. In fact, we'll both go. I could use your help picking out a new outfit. I quite liked this one…" he pulled at the leather jacket, ..." but it doesn't really feel… well… me. Not this me anyway. Not anymore. Come on." He led the way deeper into the TARDIS.


	2. The Wardrobe

_This is really just a short chapter of Livvy's first encounter with the TARDIS, hopefully more to_

 _come soon :)_

 **Chapter Two: The Wardrobe**

They passed several huge and fantastic rooms on the way. Livvy gaped at the gigantic pool and even larger library, with books on massage shelves for at least ten stories up and back for about a hundred yards. The Doctor clearly enjoyed her sense of wonder and showed it in huge goofy smiles. Eventually they made it to the wardrobe and it was just as incredible as any other room. Walls and levels of clothes stretched out and up as far as she could see. Occasionally punctuated by sets of stairs and mirrors and lights and boxy changing rooms. The Doctor nodded into the depths.

"Go on. Get changed. Find something you like. Head back here when you're done". He pointed to a changing area two levels above his head. "I'll be here, picking out some stuff. I want your opinion of my next look".

They parted ways and Livvy wandered into the depths, a bit too distracted to really focus on clothes. So many styles from all throughout history. Dresses, suits, hats, and bows. Jeans, sweatshirts, bathing suits, and articles she didn't recognize. She eventually managed to pull herself together long enough to sort through a rack of stuff that looked to be about her size. She eventually settled on a large comfy royal purple sweater. She changed into it in one of the changing rooms and wandered back to where the Doctor was, hoping she remembered the way.

Luckily she hadn't gone very far and found it without trouble.

"Doctor?" She called softly at the changing room door.

"Finished?" Came his voice in reply. He didn't wait for the answer. "Hang on a minute. I'll be out in a second".

Livvy flopped down on a squashy red velvet armchair to wait. The chair was in front of three large mirrors. Above the mirrors were a row of large vintage looking lights. She felt a small thrill. Everything in the place fascinated her. Both ancient and futuristic at the same time. Maybe that was the point.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Doctor, who emerged tugging at a Victorian style suit and ruffle. She stifled a giggle.

"What do you think?" He asked, looking himself over in the mirror.

She shook her head and tried not to smile.

He disappeared back into the changing room saying "Nah. Bit too old fashioned. And chokey".

Livvy found the whole ordeal quite hilarious. Some things he came out with she liked. Other things she was sure he was just trying to use to amuse her, no matter how many times he told her to 'take this seriously' while wearing a black feather boa.

It took forever to find something they both agreed on. He picked the Converse fairly quickly, like hers except he chose the white ones. From there came the suits. The not too casual but not too formal. He then got stuck between a brown suit and a blue suit. He was severely troubled until Livvy pointed out that he wasn't buying it and therefore could wear both.

So in the brown suit the Doctor bounced back into the control room with Livvy in tow. His joy was infectious and Livvy found herself skipping along behind him.

"What'd you say Livvy Laura Wilson? Anywhere and everywhere. Your choice. Personally I'd prefer somewhere with food. Regeneration takes it out of you. I've been doing really well so far… running on adrenaline. But I've got enough energy for a quick outing before I crash". He pumped a lever energetically and looked up expectantly.

"What? I don't know", she responded, bewildered.

"Oh don't go all indecisive on me now!" He cried.

"Don't blame me! It's been a weird day! I hit a crazy glowing man with my car, followed him into a space ship, ate lemon alien goop. And then…" she waved her hands about excitedly, "got captured by a freezer trap, and played dress up in a physics defying box". She checked the time on her phone. "And it's not even three o'clock! So you'll have to excuse my inability to choose a place to eat".

"Oh all right! You win. But tell me this, Livvy Laura Wilson, forwards or backwards?" He looked up from where he had been polishing a glass dial.

She chewed her lip. "Forwards", she decided with a hesitant nod.

"Forwards!" He cried and slammed down a lever. The TARDIS roared to life, wheezing and groaning as the inside of the center console began heaving up down.


	3. The Bridge to Everywhere (Part One)

**Chapter Three: The Bridge to Everywhere (Part One)**

The TARDIS stopped trembling and throwing its passengers around long enough for Livvy to hear the same wheezing sound the ship had made when they'd left. She fidgeted nervously.

"So we're somewhere else, right?" She asked around the thumbnail she was nibbling at.

"Yep. Several million years ahead of where you were. The year ten million and six, approximately. And nearly half a universe away, the dead center, as a matter of fact. Care to take a look?"

Livvy switched from her thumb nail to her pinky while she gave a tense nod.

"Come on, then," he smirked and flicked his head to the door.

When she hesitated to move the Doctor ambled around the console and offered her his arm. She stopped chewing her pinky and allowed him to lead her to the door, which he opened with a flourish.

As soon as they stepped outside Livvy let out a startled squawk and ducked behind the Doctor, who laughed.

"The Sterling Conjunction! Constructed by the Shadow Proclamation about a thousand years ago. Everyone that's advanced enough to do intergalactic trade comes through here at some point or another. You can get anywhere in the universe," he rattled off while she peered around him, clinging to his long coat.

The place wasn't unlike the inside of a subway. A massive, clean, and futuristic subway. The tunnel was at least ten stories high and made of glass and light. Through the glass of the rounded ceiling she could see millions of stars, some close enough to see the swirling gasses and some so far they blinked in and out of existence. Between the stars and glass were thousands of space ships flickering in and out of view as they droned silently in flashes of light. The inside of the glass was streaked with lines of moving light as it streaked from as far as Livvy could see in one direction to as far as she could see in the other. The walls were lined with an insane mixture of lights and small colorful stall-like vendors. The entire place was brimmed with life. Aliens of all shapes and sizes swarmed about, buying and selling strange items, their voices mixing and clashing with bizarre music and beeps and clatters.

Livvy gaped while the Doctor grinned as an alien approached them and began talking with the Doctor. She was too caught up on the newcomer's appearance to catch what they were saying. It was tall with paper white skin and two huge black eyes, each half the size of its head, each one set low, near what Livvy assumed was its cheeks on each side of its head. The small mouth sat at almost the bottom of its face was lipless and only moved slightly as it spoke in a rough, insect-like voice. The tiny head sat on a long snaking neck that connected to thin shoulders and a lanky body.

The creature produced two thumb sized vials of a burgundy liquid before wiggling its spindly fingers at them and moving on. Livvy watched it lope over to a scaly green lady and strike up a conversation.

Livvy managed to come out from behind the Doctor but still clung to his sleeve tightly. He smiled and offered her one of the vials.

"Free sample of Herdalnian punch. Non toxic to all species because it adjusts itself to the consumer's biology. Ingenious, really". He took a sip and wrinkled his nose.

Livvy uncorked the vial and took a sip. The liquid was thick and vaguely fruit flavored. She made a so-so gesture and shrugged.

"Pear flavored. That's what that is," the Doctor grumbled. "I don't like pears. Never had. Too squishy. Bananas on the other hand… bananas are good…"

"What is this place?"

"A type of mid highway shopping center. To our left.." he pointed left "... is the arrival channel. It's how people arrive to the conjunction from whatever planet they are coming from. Then they stop here, trade and sell items or go out and roam around the center of the universe, then they leave to the right. To wherever they need or want to go. This is just a tourist attraction".

Livvy nodded. "Like those towns that pop up along major busy highways. The towns do well because the tourists stop for food or gas or a bathroom break. They're called satellite towns, right?"

"Good. Very good", the Doctor confirmed, glancing around. "Let's join the tourists, eh, Livvy Laura?"

She looped her arm in his and he led her off among the crowds of aliens, pointing out different species and taking samples of exotic kinds of food and drink.

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At the same time, in a control room on the incoming side of the conjunction, three aliens were meeting secretly. One was a Herdalnian, with long black leathery dreads sprouting from the back of its neck; the other two were short and rather deer-like, in an insect sort of way; with long arms that touched the ground at all times and knees that bent the wrong way; both hands and feet ending in sharp points as it scuttled along. The aliens' skin was hard and mottled with patchwork yellow colors, ranging from beige to lemon. Garbled sounds bubbled out of their flat mouths, positioned at the very top of flat, spoon shaped faces that were ringed with spikes.

"What is the response time for the Shadow Proclamation?" one of the yellow aliens bubbled.

"Two minutes, thirty seconds", the Herdalnian chittered, "but today is a low traffic day, so there will be less guards on duty-"

"Numbers are irrelevant", the third alien spat, sending a few droplets of saliva at the offending creature, who cowered. "The Shadow Proclamation has the Judoon at their disposal. We do not have the firepower we need to stand against the Judoon in a frontal assault. We need time. It will take at least five minutes to allow The Pregarn through. Two more for them to occupy the necessary positions. Can your people give us time, or not?"

"Y-yes", the long necked alien sputtered, his dreads rattling together nervously. "I believe we can… it is just a matter of delaying the computer systems…".

"I don't care how you do it, Tomgane, I just care that you do it". The alien stalked closer, his front spike tapping the ground menacingly. "Do not forget your place. If this works, you will be rewarded. If you fail. The punishments are… creative…".

"Yes, Yoghakk. I understand perfectly. As do the rest of my people. I assure you, the task will be done". Tomgane bowed awkwardly before hurrying off, still chittering fearfully.

Yoghakk turned to his companion and crossed his front spikes stressfully. "I am concerned, Yegarra. I question your decision to choose his species to assist us. They fail to deliver and have a general aura of incompetence".

"Patience, friend," Yegarra bubbled as she began to retreat further into the back rooms. "They are easy to manipulate and well rounded. No one ever suspects the Herdalnians. They will do their duty".

Yoghakk followed his friend hesitantly, still fretting. "Even if we manage to get our Pregarn through the gateway before the Shadow Proclamation can arrive, there is still the issue of the travellers and sightseers. Will they nor resist?"

"Those who pass through here are merchants and families. Not enough to pose any significant threat if they do try to stop us. Very easy to control so they don't".

"I suppose… but a crowd can be an issue if it panics…"

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Livvy had been separated from the Doctor for a little while, but wasn't too concerned. It was a big place and she knew how to get back to the TARDIS; all she had to do was go back the way she came. It's hard to get lost in a tunnel that only goes two ways: forwards and backwards.

The place was overwhelmingly friendly. Different species continuously ambled up to her, either to offer a sample, try to get her to buy something, or just to talk. Most of the species loved to talk. Loved to talk about where they were from and where they were going. Who they were going to see and who they were leaving behind. It all made her head spin. But she loved it. You'd see all of those tv shows about aliens and the future, you could watch it but not be a part of it, instead having to face the potential and completely possible dystopias that weighed down in her time's pop culture. But this. This was nice…

Livvy was startled out of her thoughts by a blaring alarm. All of the aliens around her froze for a moment, staring at each other. Staring at the the lights. Staring down the tunnel. Staring at the stars above.

And then all hell broke loose. Aliens that had been laughing together moments before suddenly clawed over each other in a frantic attempt to get somewhere, trampling those unfortunate enough to be in the way. Panic screams and shouts of pain and confusion replaced the jovial communal sounds.

Livvy had to fight to stay on her feet in the melee. She was smaller than most of the people there and had to make up for it by being fast. She slipped through the gaps and darted under arms and between legs as she tried to get back to where the TARDIS had been, or where she hoped it would be, anyway. For all she knew, she had been turned around in the panic…

She pushed the thought out of her head and kept going, because the last thing she needed was to second guess herself and join in on the crowd's confusion. Confusion kills. Besides, she was beginning to recognize some of the shops.

She had just recognized the sign of the ice cream parlour she and the Doctor had stopped at, the one with a green giraffe on the outside, when something, she had the vague impression was a hoof, smashed into her ribs. She staggered, winded, against the red and white striped wall of the ice cream place. It took her a moment to remember how to breathe and another moment to remember how NOT to throw up before she threw herself back into the fray.

It only took a few more moments to find the Doctor. Livvy glimpsed him standing worriedly near the blue box, frantically searching each face that passed by. He was bouncing on his feet, as if he were torn between going out to search for his young friend and staying by the TARDIS, where she would most likely try to find him. His eyes rested on Livvy and relief flooded his face.

"Livvy!" he cried, stepping toward her as she scurried toward him. He pulled her into his arms protectively, holding her head against his chest with one hand while the other rubbed her back. "Alright, then?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine", she gasped as she turned slightly to look up at him. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," he muttered, still distractedly rubbing her back in large, soothing circles. "But I think we're about to find out".

"Why's that?" She squeaked, curling her fingers tightly into his jacket.

"Because I'm going to find out". He suddenly spun her around and pushed her towards the TARDIS. "TARDIS. Now". He unlocked the door and shoved her inside before turning to head back out.

"What?" Livvy squawked before starting to follow after him. "What do you mean 'you're going to find out?' What about me? You can't just leave me in here!"

The Doctor turned to face her, blocking the TARDIS doors easily.

"No! You're not coming! This is way too dangerous. I had never meant for this to be anything but fun. Good, safe, harmless fun. But the game has just changed. I don't know what is going on, but whatever it is is bad enough to turn a whole load of peaceful people into a panicked mob. So I'm going to try and sort things out, and you are going to stay here". The Doctor turned sharply and slammed the door behind him, leaving Livvy startled and confused.

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Inside of the TARDIS was quiet, save for the soft humming and beeping of the machine. Livvy sat on one of the squashy pilot's chairs, spinning in it as she noted that it was too far away from the controls to fly the TARDIS while sitting in it. It didn't take her long to get bored. Fantastic machine that was bigger on the inside or not, something more urgent was going on outside, and the Doctor was in the middle of it. She shuffled the toe of her shoe moodily against the floor grating, cursing herself for generally being too nervous to disobey an adult. She was seventeen, damnit. This was getting ridiculous. She stood up and ambled around the TARDIS console, deciding that she was adult enough to make some of her own decisions. Livvy grasped the monitor and pulled it where she could see it better, huffing at the dark screen.

"What good is a monitor if you don't know how to work it?" she asked aloud.

The TARDIS hummed and the screen lit up to show the tunnel outside. Livvy said a mental thank you before studying the scene carefully.

The crowd had gone, leaving no one in sight except for a few huddled forms that were scattered about on the floor like dead birds. Livvy shuddered and tried not to think about the people that had been trampled. The Doctor was nowhere in sight.

"Should I go out there?" Livvy asked, this time directing the question towards the machine. The TARDIS hummed and she nodded. "He probably needs help, doesn't he?" Another hum. "I know he said to stay, but he isn't really the type to actively be listened to, is he?" The console beeped. "Thought so". Livvy circled the console again and headed for the doors. "But if I get in trouble, I'm blaming you". The console made a noise that sounded a bit like a laugh and Livvy grinned despite herself. "I guess we can split the blame, huh? There's no one out there anyway… it can't hurt to look…"

The door opened with a creak and Livvy poked her head out, keeping the rest of her body firmly in the TARDIS. When she was sure that there was no one around, she dared to step out. One foot after another, she crept forward, taking each step as if the floor tiles would give out if she put too much weight on them. She jumped when the door shut behind her by its own power. Mentally chiding herself for being so jumpy, she edged towards one of the huddled lumps on the floor. The first one she came to was a bulky and looked to have been a bit taller than she was. The alien was gorilla-like, with long dark fur covering its body, long arms, and a pug-like face. He or she… Livvy didn't want to develop the habit of calling aliens 'it'... was laying on their side, long arms twisted into odd angles. His or her eyes were still open, glazed over in death with his or her long canines bared in a pained expression that was a mix of fear and agony. Livvy could see the cause… the alien's head was noticeably dented. No blood came from the wound, but it trickled from both from the nose and mouth. Livvy shuddered and looked away from the alien.

"I should've stayed in the TARDIS. I should've stayed in the TARDIS. I should. Have. Stayed. In. The. TARDIS", she repeated to herself in a singsong voice. Her mind flickered back to the first time she met the Doctor. How he was bleeding and sprawled out in the road, huddled and broken like the alien she was facing now. But instead of returning to the TARDIS, she began to examine the other forms, not coming close enough to see too much detail; just enough to see if anyone was still alive or not.

She spent a couple of minutes doing this until it dawned on her that Doctor had probably already checked when he first left… that was something that he would do, being a doctor and all… that's what doctors did right? Prioritize care for those who needed it? Livvy furrowed her brow thoughtfully. Was he even an actual doctor? She would have to remember to ask him.

Luckily, she had decided to check for the injured, because the Doctor had been in a hurry. Livvy had been about ready to give up and head back to the TARDIS when another body caught her eye. It was tucked behind a pillar, half between it and what Livvy wrote off as a trash can. She almost ignored it, having had her fill of depressing sights for the day, but she turned back toward it when she heard a sniffle.

"Hello?" She called cautiously, "I-is someone there?"

The shape moved slightly but didn't respond. Livvy crept closer.

"Are you okay? I'm not going to hurt you. I promise".

Livvy circled the pillar but was sure to leave a good six feet between her and the alien. She was greeted by a pair of large blue eyes that blinked up at her fearfully. The alien was smallish with light grey skin and short dark hair that curled in tight ringlets around rather pointy ears. Livvy squatted down and smiled at it disarmingly.

"Hiya, I'm Livvy. What's your name?"

The alien sniffed and wiped a knobby hand across its eyes. "Thanic. That's my name".

"Hello Thanic," she said, inching closer. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"A little," he said softly. "I got knocked down and hit my head. I dunno what happened next, but I think I got knocked out, cause next thing I remember is you creeping around over there".

"That sucks. I got hit in the ribs… though that's lucky. You got lucky too… compared to those poor bastards". She gestured toward the broken forms.

"Yes, I suppose so," Thanic sniffed and rubbed at his eyes again like a small child that had recently stopped crying. "Any idea what happened?"

"No. Not a clue. I'm not from around here… like, at all".

"No one is from around here," Thanic huffed a bit indignantly.

"Well, yeah, I get that. But I've never been here. Never been anywhere like here. My world isn't advanced enough yet".

"A primitive?" The elvish alien wrinkled his nose. "Primitives aren't supposed to come here. Did someone bring you?"

"Yeah".

"Illegal", he scowled, "Very illegal".

"Oh, well arrest me then", Livvy huffed before standing and scanning the tunnel distractedly. "Or better yet… arrest my friend. Or turn him in or whatever. He's the one that brought me".

Thanic gave an amused snort. "Maybe I'll do that".

His new primitive friend grinned to herself. "Great. But to do that we have to find him. So it's in your best interest to help me. Huh?"

The alien struggled to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fair enough. What then?"

"Then inform a primitive." Livvy turned to look at Thanic with her arms crossed. "What do you know?"


End file.
